THE Goffs Thyestes Chase has been coined the race the stops a county, and looking at the closing stages of the big race itself, it seemed to briefly stop pre-season hurling too as a number of young racegoers (one better not say punters in these responsible times) got a great kick out of Ain’t That A Shame winning.

Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore will have gotten a kick out of it too as the hitherto frustrating sort, disappointing at relatively short prices in the Grand National, Kerry National and Troytown, got his act together, racing in typically keen fashion but staying on well on near rail.

A track position on outside seemed an advantage, judged on both the Thyestes and the following beginners’ chase, and it is worth forgiving the pulled-up effort of the race favourite Dunboyne, who raced down the inner for most and looked sure to be placed for much of the straight.

He simply ran out of petrol between the final two fences and may also have been unsuited by being ridden forward. Having initially taken up a slot in mid-division, he moved closer to the pace heading out on the second circuit and was disputing the lead halfway down the back straight.

Those sort of tactics have not really been his bag and more restraint might see him to better effect though he could need time to overcome his exertions here.

Of the others involved in the finish, Glengouly backed up his Christmas effort at Limerick well, something he failed to do as a novice, which should set him up well for spring, while both Stormy Judge and Macs Charm shaped like marathon trips could suit, though both will need to brush up on their jumping.

Stormy Judge was having his first start over fences since April 2022 and should be sharper next time while Macs Charm is from a yard going through a quiet period, Colm Murphy’s last winner coming back on July 21st, so both have reasons that they could improve.

Monkfish plans

On a day when Willie Mullins saw Allaho ruled out of Cheltenham, Monkfish landed his first success in nearly three years when taking a steadily-run Galmoy Hurdle, Patrick Mullins commenting afterwards that he ‘hadn’t missed any training and…we're happy his fitness would hold up.’

Where he goes next is anyone’s guess as he is the type of horse to be entered in everything, and in any case it is enough to congratulate connections on getting a graded win from one so long absent.

A run at Cheltenham, where he is two-from-two, is possible but Gowran has tended not to be a good predictor of Festival success as the test at the two tracks is so different; in the last 10 years horses who had their last start at Gowran are 3/73 at Cheltenham with 12 places, the winners being Presenting Percy, Duc De Genievres and Chosen Mate. Gordon Elliott, for one, seemed keen to miss the meeting with Teahupoo.

THE Champion Bumper, far from being the chaotic mess one might expect from a 20-strong field of inexperienced horses, has been a relatively predictable race in recent times.

A number of recent runnings have developed into clashes between the two powerhouse yards from weeks, even months before the race; in 2019, it was Envoi Allen (SP 2/1) versus Blue Sari (7/2), Sir Gerhard (85/40) was up against Kilcruit (10/11) in 2021 before Facile Vega (15/8) met American Mike (5/2) in 2022.

Punters were essentially faced with a ‘pick em’, lest they fancied an outsider, but this year’s race, indeed the entire bumper division, has none of that clarity.

The expensive buy Jalon D’oudairies has looked good in a pair of wins in December but is owned by people with a historical dislike for the Champion Bumper, albeit that he is an intended runner now.

Chasing him up in the ante-post betting are a pair of recent maiden bumper winners, Maughreen and Romeo Coolio, their springing to prominence suggesting a market that needed some fresh blood.

One race that has often clarified the division is the Grade 2 Future Stars Bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival with the last five winners of that races going on to finish 12211 in the Champion Bumper.

Big players

But not so fast with this year’s race, because two of the big players, A Dream To Share and Redemption Day, are recycled Champion Bumper horses for previous seasons and neither qualify for the 2024 race. Both have had too many starts while Redemption Day is too old at seven.

To step back from the individual horses for a moment, there have been 124 bumpers run in Ireland so far this National Hunt season. Willie Mullins has trained 42 of those winners, Gordon Elliott 17 with no other trainer having more than four, Gavin Cromwell and John McConnell managing that number.

There is something of a winter/summer divide, however. Since the start of November, Elliott has won 12 bumpers to seven for Mullins, the latter with just two winners over Christmas which would be low for him.

Perhaps Mullins will bring some of last summer’s bumper winners back for the spring graded races – You Oughta Know is entered for the DRF, for instance – but many of those have already been sent over hurdles and some with distinct success.

Indeed, it is not hard to construct an argument that the best Irish novice hurdlers in each division – two miles, two and a half miles and three miles – are Mullins-trained summer bumper winners: Mystical Power, Readin Tommy Wrong and High Class Hero.

Elliott, however, is the one with the winter depth via the likes of The Enabler, Patter Merchant and Wingman, though Jeroboam Machin (trained by Emmet Mullins) is another to keep in mind after beating D B Cooper on racetrack debut at Fairyhouse in November and he too holds a DRF entry for next week.

Her trainer Oliver McKiernan is a small but significant part of the Irish National Hunt scene, particularly at his local track Naas where he is also a sponsor, but he has had fewer runners over the winter period than would typically be the case, especially at Christmas.

In the four seasons prior to this, McKiernan averaged 50 runners across the core winter months November, December and January but in 2023/’24 the number dipped to 27.

He had his first winner of 2024 at Punchestown the Monday before last with Silver King, commenting afterwards that: ‘We’re mad happy with that as a few of the horses weren’t going that well and we lost a few horses. They seem to be coming back to themselves now which is great.’ Bushmans Pass scored at Faryhouse on Wednesday. and they seem to be in much better shape since the turn of the year – his runners so far in 2024 have returned form figures: U4014221PO – and could be worth bearing in mind, especially with Naas having several upcoming meetings.